Arrival of ‘pilgrims’ on Canterbury’s First Four Ships celebrated in Christchurch

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Patsy Wardell, vice president of Canterbury Pilgrims & Early Settlers Association, donned period dress for the occasion.

A group of Cantabrians celebrated the anniversary of the arrival of the ‘First Four Ships’ at the spot where the passengers first stepped foot on New Zealand soil.

On December 16, 1850, the Charlotte Jane anchored in Lyttelton Harbour, which was then known to the European migrants as Port Cooper.

The second ship, the Randolph, arrived later that day and was followed by the Sir George Seymour the next day and the Cressy on December 27.

On board were the ‘pilgrims’, a group of about 750 settlers, whose descendants can still be found living in Canterbury today.

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On Friday morning, more than 20 members of Canterbury Pilgrims & Early Settlers Association met at Pilgrim’s Rock, in Lyttelton, the spot where the passengers first stepped foot on New Zealand soil.

Blessings were made and a bell was rung to acknowledge the contribution of the early settlers in shaping the region.

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Members of Canterbury Pilgrims & Early Settlers Association gather at Pilgrim’s Rock in Lyttelton.

“It was wonderful, we had a really good turnout,” said group secretary Linda McFarlane, whose New Zealand ancestry can be traced back to the 1840s.

“It’s the day that the first of the First Four Ships arrived in Canterbury as part the Canterbury Settlement Plan, it’s really the start of the big immigration to New Zealand from the UK, to build a colony.”

About 300 people already lived in Port Cooper in 1850, including Māori from nearby Rāpaki and workers from Wellington who were brought in to build the shelter for the new immigrants.

Today Canterbury Day is observed on November 11* but the actual date is December 16, recognising the day the Charlotte Jane arrived.

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A short service was held to acknowledge the important contribution of the early settlers.

“It’s the birth of Canterbury, in many respects, although others were all ready here and Ngai Tahu were very helpful to the early settlers when they first arrived.”

The first meeting of the Canterbury Pilgrims Association was held in October 1923. Many current members are descendants of the early settlers, as well as those with an interest in that period of Canterbury’s history.

“Next year we’ve got our 100th anniversary of the Association, so it’ll be even bigger,” said McFarlane.

*Canterbury Anniversary Day is the second Friday after the first Tuesday in November each year.